Synchronous folding mechanism and stroller having the same

ABSTRACT

A synchronous folding mechanism is adapted to be mounted to a stroller, and includes a rear joint, a handlebar joint, a front joint, a swing member and a first link member. The handlebar joint and the front joint are rotatably connected to the rear joint. The swing member has opposite end portions, one of which is rotatably connected to the rear joint. The first link member is rotatably connected to the other one of the end portions of the swing member, and is rotatably connected to one of the handlebar joint and the front joint. Rotation of the one of the handlebar joint and the front joint drives a swinging movement of the swing member relative to the rear joint and a movement of the first link member relative to the rear joint.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 17/072,247, filed on Oct. 16, 2020. The content of the applicationis incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to a stroller, and more particularly to asynchronous folding mechanism and a stroller having the same.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A conventional stroller includes a main frame that is foldable and asnack tray that is detachably connected to the main frame. To put thestroller away to save space, a user may detach the snack tray from themain frame and fold the main frame into a compact size.

However, the snack tray of such conventional stroller is often connectedto the main frame by screws or other types of fasteners, which means adismantling process of the snack tray requires tools and can be quite ahassle. Conversely, if the snack tray remains attached to the mainframe, the stroller will occupy too much space which negates the benefitof having the foldable main frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a synchronousfolding mechanism and a stroller having the same that can alleviate thedrawback of the prior art.

According to an aspect of the disclosure, a synchronous foldingmechanism is adapted to be mounted to a stroller. The synchronousfolding mechanism includes a rear joint, a front joint, a handlebarjoint and a swing member.

The rear joint is adapted to be connected to a rear leg of the stroller.The front joint is adapted to be connected to a front leg of thestroller, and is rotatably connected to the rear joint at a first axisthat extends a left-right direction with respect to the stroller. Thehandlebar joint is adapted to be connected to a handlebar support of thestroller, and is rotatably connected to the rear joint at a second axisthat extends in the left-right direction.

The swing member has opposite end portions, one of which is rotatablyconnected to the rear joint at a third axis that extends in theleft-right direction.

The synchronous folding mechanism further includes a first link memberwhich is rotatably connected to the other one of the end portions of theswing member at a fourth axis that extends in the left-right direction,and is rotatably connected to one of the handlebar joint and the frontjoint at a fifth axis that extends in the left-right direction and thatis spaced apart from the fourth axis. Rotation of the one of thehandlebar joint and the front joint drives a swinging movement of theswing member relative to the rear joint and a movement of the first linkmember relative to the rear joint.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a stroller includes anaccessory, a main frame and the abovementioned synchronous foldingmechanism. The main frame includes a front leg, a rear leg and ahandlebar support.

The accessory is connected to the first link member of the synchronousfolding mechanism. Movement of one of the handlebar support and thefront leg that is connected to the one of the handlebar joint and thefront joint relative to the rear leg drives movement of the accessoryrelative to the rear leg.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent inthe following detailed description of the embodiment with reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a stroller according tothe disclosure at an unfolded position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment at a folded position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the embodiment without a snacktray and at the unfolded position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the embodiment, illustratinga main frame and a synchronous folding mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 , illustrating the main frame and thesynchronous folding mechanism during a folding process of theembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary and partially exploded perspective view of theembodiment, illustrating that a rear leg, a front leg and a handlebarsupport of the main frame are connected to the synchronous foldingmechanism;

FIG. 7 is another fragmentary and partially exploded perspective view ofthe embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a protective coverof the main frame;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary and partially exploded perspective view of FIG.8 ; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are fragmentary and partially exploded perspective viewsillustrating the folding process of the embodiment from the unfoldedposition to the folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4 , an embodiment of a stroller 200 according tothe disclosure includes an accessory which can be a snack tray 204, amain frame 200 a and two synchronous folding mechanisms 100 that arespaced apart in a left-right direction (X) with respect to the stroller200. The accessory also can be an armrest.

The stroller 200 is convertible between an unfolded position (see FIG. 1) and a folded position (see FIG. 2 ). The main frame 200 a of thestroller 200 includes two front legs 203 that are spaced apart in theleft-right direction (X), two rear legs 201 that are spaced apart in theleft-right direction (X), and two handlebar supports 202 that are spacedapart in the left-right direction (X).

Each of the synchronous folding mechanisms 100 is mounted onto the mainframe 200 a of the stroller 200, and includes a rear joint 1, ahandlebar joint 2, a front joint 3, a first link member 4, a swingmember 6 (see FIG. 7 ), a first shaft piece 7, a second shaft piece 8, asecond link member 5 (see FIG. 9 ), and a protective cover 13.

For each of the synchronous folding mechanisms 100, the rear joint 1 isfixedly connected to a respective one of the rear legs 201 of the mainframe 200 a, the handlebar joint 2 is fixedly connected to a respectiveone of the handlebar supports 202 of the main frame 200 a, the frontjoint 3 is fixedly connected to a respective one of the front legs 203of main frame 200 a, and the first link member 4 is detachably connectedto the snack tray 204.

It should be noted that the abovementioned fixed connections may besecured by screws, but are not limited in such fastening method. Inother embodiments, the abovementioned fixed connections may be formed bymolding the elements as one piece.

It should also be noted that, in the present embodiment, the first linkmember 4 of each of the synchronous folding mechanisms 100 is formedwith a slot 41, and the snack tray 204 is detachably engaged with theslot 41 of the first link member 4. However, in other embodiments of thedisclosure, the first link member 4 may be formed with a protrudingmember that is detachably engaged with a slot formed in the snack tray204, or the first link member 4 and the snack tray 204 may be molded asone piece. Therefore, the design for such connections may vary.

For the sake of brevity, the following description refers only to one ofthe synchronous folding mechanisms 100 and the respective one of therear legs 201, the respective one of the handlebar supports 202 and therespective one of the front legs 203 that are connected to the one ofthe synchronous folding mechanisms 100.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 7 and 9 to 11 , the front joint 3 is rotatablyconnected to the rear joint 1 at a first axis (C1) that extends in theleft-right direction (X). The handlebar joint 2 is rotatably connectedto the rear joint 1 at a second axis (C2) that extends in the left-rightdirection (X). The swing member 6 has opposite end portions; one of theend portions is rotatably connected to the rear joint 1 at a third axis(C3) that extends in the left-right direction (X), and the first linkmember 4 is rotatably connected to the other one of the end portions ofthe swing member 6 at a fourth axis (C4) that extends in the left-rightdirection (X).

The first link member 4 is further rotatably connected to one of thehandlebar joint 2 and the front joint 3 at a fifth axis (C5) thatextends in the left-right direction (X) and that is spaced apart fromthe fourth axis (C4). As a result, rotation of the one of the handlebarjoint 2 and the front joint 3 drives a swinging movement of the swingmember 6 relative to the rear joint 1 and a movement of the first linkmember 4 relative to the rear joint 1. In other words, movement of oneof the handlebar support 202 and the front leg 203 that is connected tothe one of the handlebar joint 2 and the front joint 3 relative to therear leg 201 is able to drive a collective movement of the snack tray204 and the first link member 4 relative to the rear leg 201.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first link member 4 isconnected to the front joint 3, so that rotation of the front joint 3relative to the rear joint 1 will drive the swinging movement of theswing member 6 and the movement of the first link member 4 relative tothe rear joint 1. However, in other embodiments of the disclosure, wherethe first link member 4 is connected to the handlebar joint 2, theswinging movement of the swing member 6 and the movement of the firstlink member 4 will be driven by the rotation of the handlebar joint 2instead.

More specifically on the abovementioned configuration, the rear joint 1is formed with a first shaft hole 11 and a second shaft hole 12, and thefirst link member 4 is formed with a first hole 42 and a second hole 43.

The first shaft piece 7 of the synchronous folding mechanism 100 extendsalong the fourth axis (C4) through the first hole 42 of the first linkmember 4 and the first shaft hole 11 of the rear joint 1, so as tointerconnect the first link member 4 and the other one of the endportions of the swing member 6. In the present embodiment, the firstshaft hole 11 is elongated such that the first shaft piece 7 is movablein the first shaft hole 11, but is not limited in such manner.

The second shaft piece 8 of the synchronous folding mechanism 100extends along the fifth axis (C5) through the second hole 43 of thefirst link member 4 and the second shaft hole 12 of the rear joint 1, soas to interconnect the first link member 4 and the front joint 3 (or thehandlebar joint 2 in other embodiments). In the present embodiment, thesecond shaft hole 12 is elongated along an arc of another imaginarycircle that is centered at the fourth axis (C4) such that the secondshaft piece 8 is movable in the second shaft hole 12, but is not limitedin such manner.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 9 to 11 , the second link member 5 ofthe synchronous folding mechanism 100 has opposite end portions; one ofthe end portions is rotatably connected to the front joint 3 at a sixthaxis (C6) that extends in the left-right direction (X), and the otherone of the end portions is rotatably connected to the handlebar joint 2at a seventh axis (C7) that extends in the left-right direction (X).

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the first axis (C1)and second axis (C2) are disposed above the third axis (C3), and aredisposed at opposite sides of an imaginary plane that extends verticallyand that contains the third axis (C3). In addition, the fifth axis (C5)coincides with the sixth axis (C6). However, in other embodiments,arrangement of the first, second and third axes (C1, C2, C3) may vary,and the fifth axis (C5) may coincide with the seventh axis (C7) insteadof the sixth axis (C6).

It should also be noted that, in the present embodiment, the rear joint1, the handlebar joint 2, the front joint 3 and the second link member 5cooperatively form a substantially-planar quadrilateral linkage, wherethe first axis (C1), the second axis (C2), the fifth/sixth axis (C5/C6)and the seventh axis (C7) serve as its four revolute axes. By virtue ofsuch configuration, rotations of the handlebar joint 2 and the frontjoint 3 relative to the rear joint 1 are synchronized via the secondlink member 5. That is, when a user rotates one of the handlebar support202 and the front leg 203 towards the rear leg 201, the other onethereof will rotate towards the rear leg 201 simultaneously.

Moreover, the first link member 4 and the swing member 6 are disposed atopposite sides of the rear joint 1 in the left-right direction (X), andthe handlebar joint 2 and the front joint 3 are disposed at the sameside of the rear joint 1 as the swing member 6. Such unique arrangementresults in a relatively small width of the synchronous folding mechanism100 in the left-right direction (X).

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , the protective cover 13 of the synchronousfolding mechanism 100 is connected to the rear joint 1 for covering thehandlebar joint 2, the front joint 3, the second link member 5 and theswing member 6. However, depending on actual usage, the protective cover13 may be omitted in other embodiments of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7 and 9 to 11 , in the present embodiment, thestroller 200 further includes a locking unit 9 that is mounted to therear joint 1, and that is operable to prevent rotations of the handlebarjoint 2 and the front joint 3 relative to the rear joint 1 when thestroller 200 is at the unfolded position.

Specifically, the locking unit 9 includes an abutment member 91 that isfixedly connected to one of the front and rear joints 3, 1, and ablocking member 92 that is movably connected to the rear joint 1. Theother one of the front and rear joints 3, 1 is formed with an elongatedslot 31 provided for the abutment member 91 to movably extendtherethrough.

In the present embodiment, the elongated slot 31 is formed in the frontjoint 3 and is elongated along an arc of yet another imaginary circlecentered at the first axis (C1). The abutment member 91 is fixedlyconnected to the rear joint 1, extends through the elongated slot 31 ofthe front joint 3, and is movable along the elongate slot 31 between twodistal ends of the elongated slot 31. The blocking member 92 includes ablocking portion 922 that is received in the rear joint 1, and anoperative portion 921 that is connected to the blocking portion 922,that extends out of the rear joint 1, and that is operable for drivingthe blocking portion 922 to slide relative to the rear joint 1 between alocked position (see FIG. 9 ) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 10 ).Specifically, the rear joint 1 is further formed with a through slot 14,and the operative portion 921 of the blocking member 92 extends throughthe through slot 14 out of the rear joint 1 to allow accessibility foruser operations.

When the stroller 200 is at the unfolded position and the blockingportion 922 is at the locked position, the abutment member 91 isdisposed at a front one of the distal ends of the elongated slot 31. Oneend of the abutment member 91 abuts forwards against the front joint 3,and an opposite end of the abutment member 91 abuts rearwards againstthe handlebar joint 2. The blocking member 92 is disposed between andabuts against the front joint 3 and the handlebar joint 2.

More specifically, the front joint 3 has a first protrusion 32 and thehandlebar joint 2 has a second protrusion 21. When the stroller 200 isat the unfolded position and the blocking portion 922 is at the lockedposition, the second protrusion 21 of the handlebar joint 2 is disposedbehind the first protrusion 32 of the front joint 3, and the blockingmember 92 is clamped between the second protrusion 21 and the firstprotrusion 32 (i.e., the block member 92 abuts against both the firstand second protrusions 32, 21). In such a manner, the abutment member 91and the blocking member 92 cooperatively prevent the rotations of thefront joint 3 and the handlebar joint 2 relative to the rear joint 1.

In regard to usage of the stroller 200, to convert it from the unfoldedposition to the folded position, the user should first pull on theoperative portion 921 of the blocking member 92 to move the blockingportion 922 from the locked position to the unlocked position.

Then, the user may rotate either one of the handlebar support 202 andthe front leg 203 toward the rear leg 201. With the design of the firstand second link members 4, 5 and the swing member 6, movement of theeither one of the handlebar support 202 and the front leg 203 relativeto the rear leg 201 will drive the other one of the handlebar support202 and the front leg 203 to move simultaneously. In the meantime, thesnack tray 204 will also be rotated toward the rear leg 201 until thestroller 200 reaches its folded position.

In summary, compared with the prior art, the synchronous foldingmechanisms 100 of the present embodiment of the stroller 200 provide theuser with a faster and hassle-free folding process, in which thehandlebar supports 202, the front legs 203 and the snack tray 204 allmove simultaneously relative to the rear legs 201, so that the user caneasily fold the stroller 200 into a compact size without having todismantle the snack tray 204 with tools.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details have been set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. It should also be appreciatedthat reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number andso forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicmay be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be furtherappreciated that in the description, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in theunderstanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or morefeatures or specific details from one embodiment may be practicedtogether with one or more features or specific details from anotherembodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what isconsidered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that thisdisclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended tocover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of thebroadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications andequivalent arrangements.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Asynchronous folding mechanism adapted to bemounted to a stroller, said synchronous folding mechanism comprising: arear joint adapted to be connected to a rear leg of the stroller; afront joint adapted to be connected to a front leg of the stroller, androtatably connected to said rear joint; a handlebar joint adapted to beconnected to a handlebar support of the stroller, and rotatablyconnected to said rear joint; and a swing member having opposite endportions, one of said end portions being rotatably connected to saidrear joint; wherein rotation of said one of said handlebar joint andsaid front joint drives a swinging movement of said swing memberrelative to said rear joint.
 2. The synchronous folding mechanism asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the front joint is rotatably connected tosaid rear joint at a first axis that extends in a left-right directionwith respect to the stroller, the handlebar joint is rotatably connectedto said rear joint at a second axis that extends in the left-rightdirection, the one of said end portions of the swing member is rotatablyconnected to said rear joint at a third axis that extends in theleft-right direction, the synchronous folding mechanism furthercomprises a first link member rotatably connected to the other one ofsaid end portions of said swing member at a fourth axis that extends inthe left-right direction, and rotatably connected to one of saidhandlebar joint and said front joint at a fifth axis that extends in theleft-right direction and that is spaced apart from the fourth axis, andthe rotation of said one of said handlebar joint and said front jointfurther drives a movement of said first link member relative to the oneof said handlebar joint and said front joint.
 3. The synchronous foldingmechanism as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a second linkmember, said second link member having opposite end portions, one ofsaid end portions being rotatably connected to said front joint at asixth axis that extends in the left-right direction, the other one ofsaid end portions being rotatably connected to said handlebar joint at aseventh axis that extends in the left-right direction, such thatrotations of said handlebar joint and said front joint relative to saidrear joint are synchronized via said second link member.
 4. Thesynchronous folding mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of thesixth and seventh axes coincides with the fifth axis.
 5. The synchronousfolding mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first link memberand said swing member are disposed at opposite sides of said rear jointin the left-right direction, said rear joint is formed with a firstshaft hole, and said synchronous folding mechanism further comprises afirst shaft piece that extends along the fourth axis through said firstshaft hole to interconnect said first link member and the other one ofsaid end portions of said swing member, said first shaft piece beingmovable in said first shaft hole.
 6. The synchronous folding mechanismas claimed in claim 5, wherein said handlebar joint and said front jointare disposed at the same side of said rear joint as said swing member,said rear joint is further formed with a second shaft hole, and saidsynchronous folding mechanism further comprises a second shaft piecethat extends along the fifth axis through said second shaft hole tointerconnect said first link member and the one of said handlebar jointand said front joint, said second shaft piece being movable in saidsecond shaft hole.
 7. The synchronous folding mechanism as claimed inclaim 6, wherein said second shaft hole is elongated along an arc of animaginary circle that is centered at the fourth axis.
 8. The synchronousfolding mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and secondaxes are disposed above the third axis.
 9. The synchronous foldingmechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first axis and the secondaxis are disposed at opposite sides of an imaginary plane that extendsvertically and that contains the third axis.
 10. The synchronous foldingmechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a protective coverthat is connected to said rear joint for covering said handlebar joint,said front joint and said swing member.
 11. A stroller comprising: anaccessory; a main frame comprising a front leg, a rear leg and ahandlebar support; and said synchronous folding mechanism as claimed inclaim 1; wherein movement of one of said handlebar support and saidfront leg that is connected to said one of said handlebar joint and saidfront joint relative to said rear leg drives movement of said accessoryrelative to said rear leg.
 12. The stroller as claimed in claim 11,wherein said rear joint of said synchronous folding mechanism and saidrear leg are fixedly connected, said handlebar joint of said synchronousfolding mechanism and said handlebar support are fixedly connected, andsaid front joint of said synchronous folding mechanism and said frontleg are fixedly connected.
 13. The stroller as claimed in claim 11,further comprising a locking unit that is mounted to said rear joint ofsaid synchronous folding mechanism, and that is operable to preventrotations of said handlebar joint and said front joint relative to saidrear joint when said stroller is at an unfolded position.
 14. Thestroller as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of said front and rearjoints is formed with an elongated slot, said locking unit comprises: anabutment member that is fixedly connected to the other one of said frontand rear joints, that extends through said elongated slot, and that ismovable along said elongate slot between two distal ends of saidelongated slot; and a blocking member that is movably connected to saidrear joint; when said stroller is at the unfolded position, saidabutment member is disposed at one of said distal ends of said elongatedslot, and has one end that abuts against said one of said front and rearjoints, and an opposite end that abuts against said handlebar joint; andwhen said stroller is at the unfolded position, said blocking member isdisposed between and abuts against said front joint and said handlebarjoint, said abutment member and said blocking member cooperativelyprevent rotations of said front joint and said handlebar joint relativeto said rear joint.
 15. The stroller as claimed in claim 14, wherein thefront joint is rotatably connected to said rear joint at a first axisthat extends in a left-right direction with respect to the stroller, andsaid elongated slot is elongated along an arc of an imaginary circlethat is centered at the first axis.
 16. The stroller as claimed in claim14, wherein said front joint of said synchronous folding mechanismcomprises a first protrusion that abuts said blocking member when saidstroller is at the unfolded position, said handlebar joint of saidsynchronous folding mechanism comprises a second protrusion that abutssaid blocking member when said stroller is at the unfolded position, andwhen said stroller is at the unfolded position, said blocking member isclamped between said second protrusion and said first protrusion, andsaid second protrusion is disposed behind said first protrusion.
 17. Thestroller as claimed in claim 14, wherein, when said stroller is at theunfolded position, said abutment member is disposed at a front one ofsaid distal ends of said elongated slot, said one end of said abutmentmember abuts forwards against said one of said front and rear joints,and said opposite end of said abutment member abuts rearwards againstsaid handlebar joint.
 18. The stroller as claimed in claim 14, whereinsaid blocking member comprises: a blocking portion that is received insaid rear joint; and an operative portion that is connected to saidblocking portion, that extends out of said rear joint, and that isoperable for driving said blocking portion to slide relative to saidrear joint.
 19. The stroller as claimed in claim 18, wherein said rearjoint is formed with a through slot, and said operative portion of saidblocking member extends through said through slot out of said rearjoint.
 20. The stroller as claimed in claim 11, wherein the front jointis rotatably connected to said rear joint at a first axis that extendsin a left-right direction with respect to the stroller, the handlebarjoint is rotatably connected to said rear joint at a second axis thatextends in the left-right direction, the one of said end portions of theswing member is rotatably connected to said rear joint at a third axisthat extends in the left-right direction, said synchronous foldingmechanism further comprises a first link member rotatably connected tothe other one of said end portions of said swing member at a fourth axisthat extends in the left-right direction, and rotatably connected to oneof said handlebar joint and said front joint at a fifth axis thatextends in the left-right direction and that is spaced apart from thefourth axis, the rotation of said one of said handlebar joint and saidfront joint further drives a movement of said first link member relativeto the one of said handlebar joint and said front joint, and saidaccessory is detachably connected to said first link member of saidsynchronous folding mechanism.